1 Read the text about leadership. Five sentences are missing from the text. Show which gap they should go in by writing the correct letters (A–E).
A
Of course there are personal qualities that are needed.
B
One thing, though, is true in all fields, at any level.
C
There’s a difference between leading and managing.
D
This is not the same as being popular.
E
But the two fields have many similarities.
1
…the comparison between business and sport was often missed. (1) _____ After all, if you’re competing in markets, what better place is there to look for leadership qualities than in professional sport, which is all about competition?
2
How to achieve it is rather less simple. (2) _____ You have to be confident, determined and so on.
3
(3) _____ Leadership is about establishing a direction for the group to follow. Management is more about keeping them going in that direction.
4
(4) _____ What great leaders do is express their personal qualities through others.
5
Good leaders have to express what the team or organisation wants. (5) _____ Some team members will always be unhappy if a new manager turns everything around…
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Reading
Until recently, business experts looking for examples of leadership tended to focus on great army leaders or politicians of the past; the comparison between business and sport was often missed. (1) _____ After all, if you’re competing in markets, what better place is there to look for leadership qualities than in professional sport, which is all about competition?
In both business and in sport, the simple answer to the question of what makes a great leader is: success. How to achieve it is rather less simple. (2) _____ You have to be confident, determined and so on. But there isn’t one type of person who fits every situation and these personal qualities are not enough in themselves.
(3) _____ Leadership is about establishing a direction for the group to follow. Management is more about keeping them going in that direction. Leadership without management results in rushing towards new goals without worrying about how you reach them. In contrast, management without leadership means that everything tends to stay as it is. You need to change between the two according to the situation.
(4) _____ What great leaders do is express their personal qualities through others. They do this through teamwork, understanding and communication, and the more you develop these skills, the more successful you will be. It’s also true that, despite what people say about ‘born leaders’, these skills can be learnt.
Good leaders have to express what the team or organisation wants. (5) _____ Some team members will always be unhappy if a new manager turns everything around and changes systems that everyone is used to. But if it’s clear to everyone that the success of the team is the final aim, they will put their worries to one side, and when success comes they will disappear.
Practice
2 Decide whether the statements are TRUE or FALSE.
1
Experts have tended to find examples of leadership in fields other than sport.
2
All great leaders are likely to be the same kind of people.
3
In some situations, leadership is more important than management.
4
In some fields, leaders can succeed without team-working skills.
5
New managers sometimes want to introduce big changes.
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Practice
3 What do these words, highlighted in the text, refer to?
1
it (line 6)
2
them (line 9)
3
them (line 10)
4
They (line 12)
5
they (line 18)
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